KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’ve ever had to use them, you know crutches can be both a lifesaver and a pain. Now some local designers hope to change that.

Max and Liliana Younger used Kickstarter to fund their new crutch design. They raised more than $12,000. The project has only expanded from there.

The Youngers redesigned crutches so that people can support themselves with their elbows and forearms.

“They have amazing new technology out there but crutches are the same civil war technology we’ve had forever,” Max said.

It’s a project inspired by Max’s dad Dan, who is an above-the-knee amputee. He also uses traditional crutches which put more weight on hands, wrists or armpits.

“When you ask him, he has nerve damage in the palm of his hands and it causes damages to his wrists. It bruises his rib cage,” Max said.

The Youngers hope their crutches will replace pain with comfort. The arm bands mold to the person’s arm and is light weight.

“It’ll be comparable to a set of crutches now which is a big deal considering there’s more mass to it,” Liliana said.

The crutches are customized to fit a person as short as 4-foot-7 to as tall as 6-foot-8.

The Youngers both worked at Hallmark until Liliana recently quit to focus full time on their business, Mobility Designed. They’ve already received two local grants to help fund the project.

They hope to start selling their crutches this summer. A set will cost anywhere from $200-$300.